


Sleep-deprived

by WritingWren



Series: Mother Hens of Marmora 'verse [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Again, And angst, Everybody Lives, Fluff, Happy Ending, One Shot, Solving problems, Traumatized Shiro, shiro is like keith's brother you can fight me on this, toothrotting fluff as always, who gets help
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 18:27:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12041694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingWren/pseuds/WritingWren
Summary: Shiro forgets that he doesn't have to shoulder everything on his own, which leads to... unexpected, as well as unwanted problems. Keith and the others help.





	Sleep-deprived

**Author's Note:**

> Part of my Mother Hens 'verse; you might want to read the first part before this one. This is again based on an idea of the lovely Paladin-Pile [[just look at it. And look at this blog, too. Great blog.](https://paladin-pile.tumblr.com/post/163116807702/i-need-a-fic-where-shiro-admits-hes-tired-like#notes)]  
> I've also got a writing blog now if you're interested! Come find me on [tumblr](https://writing-wren.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Enjoy~

These days Shiro is the black paladin. He’s the leader of team Voltron and, far away from home, a mentor or sometimes even father figure for the younger paladins. As a leader it’s his duty to take care of them. To help them, to hold the team together and, most importantly, to make sure none of them are hurt. He couldn’t save Matt and Commander Holt, couldn’t take them with him when he escaped, but that won’t happen again. Keith knows all of that, that it’s probably what Shiro is thinking without the older paladin having to tell him (though he has told him a little). Shiro is stupid like that, trying to carry every burden on his shoulders no matter how heavy.

These days Shiro is the black paladin, but he's been the Champion for a long time, has his right arm to show for that, and sometimes he’s still _there_ , even if he’s not. Sometimes he spaces out, sees his cell instead of the common room or the guards instead of his comrades. Keith knows that as well, has an eye on him to snap him out of it just as much as the others do. They don’t talk about it and they don’t have to. Every one of them has scars, and they take care of each other and that’s it.

These days Shiro is tired. Keith, having known him the longest, tries to get him to rest -to no avail, of course. Pidge and Allura try to reason with him, but he just gives them his best smile and promises he’s fine and soldiers through another day. Lance tries to be subtle, making jokes about how Shiro’s going to age three times as fast without any beauty sleep, but the black paladin shrugs it off with another smile. Hunk makes his favorite food and lots of warm milk with honey and other things he thinks might help him sleep at night and gets a smile and a warm “Thank you, I appreciate it,” but his plan doesn’t work either. Shiro’s always smiling, pretending he sleeps through the night and that he’s fine and not exhausted at all. They can all see that he’s not, his façade is breaking a little more with every day until not only Keith can see it any more.

He’s spacing out more, too. A moment here, a few seconds there… and the look in his eyes is so cold sometimes, and then again so hurt, that Keith is going to go mad if he can’t find a way to help him. The rest of his pack, in turn, picks up on their adopted kit’s distress. When they’re on their own, during pack time or whatever you want to call it, Antok pulls him into his lap more often, against his chest with a hand in his hair and a quiet, rumbling sound that usually makes Keith relax. It doesn’t have as much of an effect as it has other times.

Thace can’t help but hug him more often as well, and Ulaz, when he’s not fretting over Keith’s health because “You didn’t eat right again!” (even though Keith did), joins in until it’s only Kolivan who’s missing from the cuddle pile. He usually joins in at last. Other times the leader of the Blade of Marmora talks to him when they spar.

“What’s going on?” he asks. “You’re distressed, Keith.” It’s unfair because he’s not even out of breath and Keith still has problems blocking every attack, breathing heavily by the time the older Galra speaks up.

“I don’t know… what you’re… talking about,” he huffs. Which was the wrong thing to say, because Kolivan sees through the threadbare-thin lie with ease and a moment later Keith is pinned to the floor pretty much helplessly. So they’re going to have a Talk, then, the Galra way. Or the Kolivan way, though that might be the same.

He growls quietly in warning. “Try again, youngling.”

Keith sighs. “It’s just Shiro. He’s trying to do everything himself even though he has a team to share worries and burdens with and no matter what we do, he’s not listening to us. He was tired at first and now he’s exhausted and I don’t know how to help him. Dammit!”

Kolivan looks thoughtful. “That sounds complicated… You should have told me sooner, told the pack, but I guess that is a trait you share with Shiro, isn’t it?” Keith looks away and shrugs and Kolivan shakes his head and lets up on him so he can stand.

“Do you want me to talk to him on your behalf?”

For a moment there Keith is not sure if he should stare at him in shock or glare in anger; he chooses the latter. “Hell no! I’m not a child!”

That statement is true and false at the same time. He _is_ a cihld from the Galra point of view and he’s been pretty much adopted by the pack. But that’s something for behind closed doors, for pack time. And he doesn’t need them interfering with his everyday life, because half Galra, full Galra, or no Galra, he’s grown up on earth as a human and he’s been taking care of himself for a long time before he even knew Galra existed. He’s not the typical… kit and thank god the other Galra have accepted that and act accordingly.

“I see,” Kolivan replies, somewhat amused. “Alright then, I won’t. But be assured that I will act if it becomes necessary. I, just as any of the others, am not going to let you ruin yourself over this. Remember you’re part of a pack now, what you do affects us all.” With that he leaves, but he’s said what needed to be said. Keith sighs and makes his way to the shower. Of course Kolivan had to remind him of that. If he’s upset over Shiro, then the rest of the Galra will be upset as well. If he’s happy, then they are, too. It would probably be the same if it was one of the others and not Keith.  It’s similar to the team, just a little bit closer and run on instincts.

He just hopes the older Galra’s words weren’t some kind of ultimatum. _Solve it yourself or we will_ , sort of. Keith guesses they can’t help it. It’s nice to know they’re concerned about his wellbeing anyway, even though he really doesn’t want them to interfere -not on “his behalf” at least.

He watches Shiro during breakfast. The bags under his eyes have grown yet again and they’re darker than yesterday, if that’s even possible. He’s smiling like always, but it looks strained now. Keith keeps a closer eye on Shiro for the rest of the day. He catches him zoning out three times before lunch; a little while ago that happened maybe once or twice a week. Exhaustion is not the best way to separate reality and illusion, it seems, especially if said illusion is an actual memory.

It’s enough, Keith thinks; they need to do something before Shiro has a breakdown. So he follows him to the bathroom and waits in front of the door, so he can talk to him when he comes back out, before Shiro is back with the team. It’s probably the only chance he’ll get, if he really wants to talk some sense into him without the older paladin just shrugging everything off. If it’s just the two of them he might listen.

He doesn’t realize that this might remind Shiro of his captivity -he’s probably been led to the bathroom during _that time_ , a guard waiting, watching, all the time- until it’s too late. The black paladin opens the door, sees Keith, freezes and from there on everything happens fast. Shiro’s eyes glaze over and flicker from Keith to the empty corridor back to Keith, and before he can even comprehend what’s going on Shiro’s arm has transformed into the sort-of sword and he’s attacking.

He’s not trying to hurt Keith, not really, or else he could’ve seriously injured him, but he pushes him back against the wall none too gently, the sword against his throat. The pained sound escaping Keith as his back connects with the wall is half human curse and half Galra whine, and if this wasn’t such a bad situation he’d probably laugh at how impossible the mere idea of that is. But he’s a little bit distracted by Shiro’s sword and he can’t even try to talk to him, to snap him out of it, like this. This is not just him zoning out anymore, this is… an episode or something.

And then, from one second to the next, Shiro’s ripped away from him. It’s Antok; he comes out of nowhere and he’s angry, not just growling but _roaring_ , and Keith fears that he’s acting on instincts right now, protecting the kit that’s been attacked. His mind might be as blank as Shiro’s.

“Don’t hurt him!” Keith shouts, and gets a low growl in response.

“Stay back, youngling.”

So he’s clear-headed at least. If Antok was acting on instincts, he wouldn’t speak, or at least the last two times it happened, the Galra always only ever communicated in growls, rumbles and other, similar noises. Shiro, on the other hand, still doesn’t seem to know where he is. There’s a short fight, maybe more of a struggle, before one of Antok’s hits connects with Shiro’s stomach. Suddenly all fight leaves the older paladin and he goes down to his knees, arms -two hands now- crossed behind his back as if they were bound and eyes on the floor, breathing heavily.

It hurts to see him like that, and another, very quiet whine escapes Keith before he can control himself. Antok turns around to give him a quick hug; it’s over before it even began and before anybody can see it.

“Are you alright?” he asks and Keith nods.

“I am. But he’s not… And you’re a Galra like his captors, too. Step back a little?” Antok assesses the situation and does as Keith asked after a moment, but stays close enough to intervene should it be necessary.

Keith kneels down in front of Shiro, who’s shaking slightly, and puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Shiro?” he asks. “Shiro, it’s me, Keith.” No reaction. “C’mon, snap out of it… You’re not there, not really, you’re in the castle. We’re all safe. C’mon…” He keeps talking to him like that and after a while it seems to work. Shiro freezes, gasps for air as if he’s been diving for too long and blinks; he raises his head to look at Keith, confused but his eyes clear once again.

“Keith? What’re we doing on the floor?”

He pales at the explanation. “Good god, what have I done…? Keith, are you alright? Did I hurt you?”

The younger paladin sighs. “I’m _fine_ , Shiro. You’re the one I’m worried about. Besides, I’ve got a bodyguard with me, I guess…” He shoots Antok _a look_ , and the tall Galra just shrugs.

“You were distressed,” he explains. “I was just going to make sure you were alright, youngling.”

Shiro gives him a grateful nod at that. “Thanks for stopping me…”

“I am not going to let anybody hurt our kit, adopted or not, if I can,” Antok replies, which gets him a glare from Keith.

“ _Antok_! Are you trying to be embarrassing or does that come naturally?”

A rare grin Keith really wouldn’t have expected in this situation. “I’m a natural.” More serious, he adds, “But I thought Shiro was your pack back from earth. I apologize if I was wrong with that, youngling.”

Keith sighs. He’s sighing a lot today, he thinks. “I… guess?” If he thinks about it, Antok is right. He didn’t have anybody, but Shiro has been like a big brother to him right from day one. He even spoke in Keith’s favor a few times when he’d been dangerously close to being expelled. It’s a shame and a good thing that he wasn’t there the last time when Keith was almost 17, because that’s why Keith was expelled that day, but it led him to saving Shiro from the military, to Voltron, and, ultimately, to his kinda Galra family. He doesn’t regret a single thing. But he hasn’t thought of Shiro as _pack_ before. He was almost family, the closest thing Keith had to one for a very long time, but he’s a human. He’s still like a big brother to him. His pack back from earth, huh?

The red paladin hums, then stands. “C’mon, Shiro. You really should rest.” He holds out a hand to Shiro the black paladin takes. “I don’t think this would’ve happened If you’d have gotten some rest before, when we told you to…”

Shiro shakes his head. “There’s a lot to do, Keith. I don’t have the time to-“

He’s interrupted by an actual growl from the other paladin. “Kolivan is the leader of the Blade of Marmora. He still sleeps with the pack at night because even Galra need sleep to function. And, by the way, he doesn’t try to shoulder everything himself, either. That’s what the -team is for.” That was close. Keith almost said pack there. But he’s talking himself into a rage now and he’s not stopping before everything is said.

“All of us can see that you’re exhausted. All of us are worried because you rather work yourself into the ground than talking or even listening to us. It’s Voltron, Shiro, not the black paladin; we’re supposed to be a team. I know you feel like you have to protect us because you’re the oldest, and the leader, but this won’t work like that. This is a war, and the entire universe is at stake, and the lions chose us as paladins no matter our age so we’re in for the ride wether you like it or not. The rest of the pack understands that and doesn’t interfere with my duties. Why can’t you?”

Shiro is dumbfounded for a moment, sighs and looks down. “Keith, it’s not that easy. I would never forget that you’re all paladins of Voltron and you’re all doing a very good job, I couldn’t ask for a better team, but…”

“But _what_ , Shiro?!”

The black paladin sighs. “Sleeping is not easy, okay? There’s nothing I can do to change that, and there’s no reason to burden any of you with it if you can’t help.”

Except that there is something, maybe, Keith could do to help him. Only for Shiro, though, never for one of the others, because Shiro is half pack. He thinks about that for a moment and then looks back at Antok who’s been watching Keith’s speech somewhat amused. “Can you go back to the others and tell them I’m going to talk some sense into Shiro and get him to rest?” he asks.

Antok hesitates. “Are you sure you’ll be fine?”

Keith rolls his eyes. “I’m sure nothing will happen now. I’m a paladin, too, remember? Even if it does happen again, it’s not going to take me by surprise a second time. So go ahead and tell the others everything’s alright.” What remains unsaid is that the Galras’ hearing, like their other senses, is much better than a human’s. _If_ something happened and Keith was calling for help chances are that they’d hear it anyway. And they’d be over in an instant, of that he’s sure.

So the bigger Galra nods and leaves them alone, to tell the rest of team Voltron that Keith and Shiro will probably be gone for a while, and, more important, to tell the rest of the pack that they don’t have to worry and that Keith is fine. Ulaz is going to fuss over him anyway and search for any injuries later but it’s worth the try.

Once they’re alone, Keith concentrates on Shiro again. “C’mon,” he says, “let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“Your room, idiot. I really don’t want you to have another of those… episodes. I’m pretty sure you don’t want that, either. What if you hurt yourself or someone else? You need _sleep_ , Shiro.”

The black paladin looks shocked at those open words and follows without another complaint. Once they’re there, Keith crosses his arms, determined. “Go ahead, get comfortable.”

Shiro looks at him, confused and as if he really wants to ask what Keith’s plan is, but he changes into a fresh shirt nonetheless. He’s very quick about it, but Keith still catches a glance at scars, a lot of them. He’s been suspecting something like this, because Shiro is always wearing long sleeved shirts, but there’s nothing he can do about it right now so he lets it go.

“So,” he says instead. “I’m gonna try something, but if you ever tell _anybody_ I’ll never talk to you again.”

Shiro actually looks a little bit worried now. “Keith, you don’t have to…”

“Bullshit. C’mon, lie down.”

The black paladin does so with a sigh, and Keith can see that he’s exhausted, but also that he won’t be able to sleep like this. So he does the only thing he knows. “Move over,” he orders, relieved when Shiro does. At least he hasn’t told him to get lost yet; not that he would do it like that, but obviously he’s accepted that he needs help now, so that’s good.

It’s embarrassing, but Shiro is still like a big brother to him, and, like Antok said, somehow he’s kind of a part of what Keith feels of as his pack so this is worth it if it helps. He sits with him and starts carding a hand through his hair, because he can’t imagine someone _not_ liking that feeling.

“Keith? What are you doing?” Shiro asks, tensing slightly.

The younger paladin can feel his ears burning, and he’s probably blushing because he never thought they’d end up like this when he woke this morning. “I’m petting your hair,” he replies, his voice thankfully calm and steady. This is weird for both of them.

They don’t really talk after that and slowly they both relax, get used to the position. Keith would’ve never thought it possible, but it works: Shiro falls asleep at some point. Keith stays with him the whole time, purring when the older man (who might be an actual adult with his 25 years and experiences but is still young) tenses in his sleep, maybe reliving memories he surpresses as best as he can during the day. The purring is not a conscious choice, an instinct, rather, but it helps Shiro to settle down again. He’s not going to wake him if he doesn’t have to; Shiro needs all the sleep he can get.

Now that he’s got the time Keith takes a look around Shiro’s room. There’s not much more apart from the bed and the cupboard; those are the same as in his own and the others’ rooms. But unlike the other paladins’ rooms this one is… empty. Lance has beauty products from all over the universe, Hunk has notes for his recipes, a lot of them, stacks on stacks that’ll probably become at least one cookbook sometime soon, Pidge has little electronic parts she likes to tinker with, and Keith has at least some posters (though he’s not in his room that often anymore by now, so that doesn’t count. Technically he has a room full of pack). Shiro’s room looks more of a prison cell, and Keith thinks that maybe this could be a part of the problem.

This is also not going to be an ideal solution, either. Keith can’t stay with Shiro every night, he does need his pack and he’s accepted that by now and given in to the instincts of his Galra half. But if this is the only way to help Shiro sleep he’d have to, or they’d have to expect another of those episodes soon. But maybe they can do something about this room, make it look less like a prison cell… They can’t change the size (which _is_ rather small) but maybe they can change the feeling of it…

After that he dozes off a little himself; he wakes at five in the morning with a stiff neck but considering that Shiro’s still asleep it has been worth it. So he’s been sleeping for half a day and all night...

“And you’re telling me you don’t need sleep…” he mutters.

Shiro, though his eyes are still closed, hums. “I never said I don’t need sleep,” he replies. “I just couldn’t.” He opens his eyes to look at him. “Thank you, Keith. I did need this.”

Keith looks away, embarrassed. “Don’t mention it. Just talk to us from now on. Don’t try to do everything on your own and something like yesterday probably won’t happen again… We want to help you, you just have to let us.”

“Such wise words all of a sudden…” Shiro grins a little and Keith shrugs.

“Yeah, well, it’s something I learned recently…”

Both of their stomachs decide it’s time for food after that, grumbling loudly, and they make their way to the kitchen. Hunk always has some food in there that’s actually edible. They’re not disappointed.

After that everything goes back to normal; only Shiro is opening up a little bit more. He’s delegating more, too, instead of trying to do everything on his own, and he’s less tired. But he’s still not sleeping half as much as he should, so Keith calls a strategy meeting with Pidge, Hunk and Lance and tells them about Shiro’s room and his plan. They’re on board before he has even stopped talking.

Pidge builds a camera easily enough, within half a day, and after that they all take turns with it, taking photos of each other, Hunk’s food, Pidge’s games, the stars and even Allura’s mice. Whatever is important to them becomes a photo. And yes, there’s some selfies of Lance, too. Mostly they’re pretty funny. They take Shiro by surprise and make a group photo with all of them, and Pidge is gone with the camera before he can even ask where she got it from or if he can see the photo. He’s confused but lets it go.

After that they wait until there’s another strategy meeting with Shiro, Allura and Kolivan and break into Shiro’s room. They plaster the photos all over the walls, chaotic and not neat in the least, but it does have some charm. The group photo of all of them finds its place right next to Shiro’s bed. There’s still some space to fill, but there’s enough time for more photos. Once they’re done the room feels a lot less restrictive. They leave the camera on Shiro’s bed where he’ll find it and go back to what they’ve been doing before as if nothing happened and only exchange a look the next time Shiro goes to his room, like children who’re waiting for a present.

It takes a while, a lot longer than they would’ve thought, but if his eyes are just a little bit watery when he returns nobody mentions it.

“Thanks, guys,” Shiro says, and it’s Hunk who starts the group hug because yes, he is the emotional one of the team. Pidge follows soon, though, as does Lance. Keith only hesitates for another few seconds before he joins in. Who cares if he’s purring just a little? Lance snickers.

“Shut up, Lance. Or I’ll draw on you in your precious beauty sleep and take a photo of _that_.”

“Ha! You can try! Lance McClain is always alert!”

Keith grins. Challenge accepted.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and Feedback are always appreciated~


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